New Delhi, July 16: Former India Captain and Goalkeeper Bharat Chetri opened up about the Indian team's outing at the 2012 Olympics and revealed after facing the disappointment of not qualifying for the 2008 Olympics, he was very excited about leading the Indian team in London Games.
"The year 2008 was a sad one for us as we couldn't qualify for the Olympics, so when we qualified for the 2012 Olympics, it was a great feeling. It felt really good to go for the 2012 Olympics in London," Chetri said in the latest episode of Hockey India's Flashback Series.
However, the Indian team couldn't find their groove and finished last in the competition. The former Captain expressed that the Indian team had a good set of players, but they couldn't produce the necessary performances.
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The former Goalkeeper added that things could've been slightly different if India had at least drawn their first match against the Netherlands, "If we would've at least drawn our first game against the Netherlands, then things could've been different for us. If we drew that game, then our confidence would've been up. We had chances to win that game as well. The first game was very important for us wherein we couldn't put in the necessary performance."
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Nevertheless, Chetri said that the 2012 Olympics was a big experience in his career, "The Olympics is the biggest event for any sportsperson. It was a big experience in my career. The best athletes from around the world participate in the Olympics and the other participants also get to watch the best of the best in action at the Games."
When asked about the current Indian Men's and Women's Hockey Teams' chances at the Tokyo Olympics, Chetri said that both the teams have a great chance of winning a medal.
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Source: HI Release